By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Playing days for Nemanja Bjelica are over.
On Saturday, he announced his decision via a post on his Instagram account.
“20 years… Thank you basketball,” wrote the 35-year-old Serbian forward to conclude his career.
View this post on Instagram
He later shared an extended message, walking through the highlights of his career.
Thank you 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/EpmQlWibbY
— Nemanja Bjelica (@NemanjaBjelica) March 23, 2024
Bjelica played in the NBA for seven seasons. He was selected with the 35th pick of the 2010 draft, five years before completing the jump at 27. From the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings to the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors, he made his way to 471 appearances, including 15 coming off the bench in the 2022 Playoffs, helping the Warriors win the championship in his final campaign.
Reserving a triumph for the end was the case as well before moving his talents to the league based in North America. Starring for Fenerbahce Ulker, he was named season MVP in 2015. Pushing the team based in Istanbul to the Final Four was the predecessor to the first EuroLeague championship, two years later. Reuniting with Fenerbahce Beko following the NBA, he logged seven more appearances over the 2022-23 campaign and upped his total to 109 across the two spells with Fener and previous experience with Caja Laboral/Laboral Kutxa.
Representing Serbia at the international level, Bjelica captured a silver medal in the 2014 FIBA World Cup and won bronze in the 2009 FIBA EuroBasket. More caps stemmed from three more installments of World Cups and three more editions of EuroBasket.